Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-17
THE MISSISSIPPI MYSTERY
The Drowning of Mrs. Adelia
B9tger
The Trial of James BGtger for the
Murder Continues-More Of the De-
PENDANTS Testimony The Jury Visit
the Scene of the Drowning.

sympathetic than orderly. opinions vary
AS to the probable result. The testimony
which the state expected to get, that OF
the brakesman on the freight train which
crossed the bridge at the time of the oc.
currence, did not materialize, aud the
prosecution rests upon circumstanusl
evidence alone The defense are putting
in their case very rapidly and will likely
conclude their testimony today.
The jury after the adjournment Of
court last evening went and viewed the
bridge and surroundings and the locality
of the drowning.
JAMES BGTGER
upon cross examination maintained his
story as testified in chief, and as detailed
in yesterdays ARGUS. the only important
facts elected being that he was ten to
fifteen steps from his wife when she went
over, a material contradiction of Langen-
helm, who testified that he was within at
least two steps, II not less; also his adj
mission that during the time he was in
Muscatlne he continually wrote to his
wife begging for divorce.
A. +. Fleming, superintendent of the
bridge, testified as to the length of the
bridge, the structure of the various
walks, wagon roads, etc, the height of
the railing, the structure of the railing,
the position of the lamps.
G, H. Buck and Henry Empke testified
as to the good character OF the defendant.
Hans Hartmann. Have known B9tger
for some time; his reputation is good so
far as know; | know of Beetger's gets
ting married. After he was married he
left his wife and came to my house. One
night his wife came to the house and
asked for BGtger He was up stairs. l
sent for him. and he came down and they
went away together. Afterwards some
of my boarders took his trunk and things
over to his house
Minnie Wolf: Am twenty three years
old and work at Fred Denkmaus; |
know the defendant; l saw his wife
twice; l never saw his baby, after the
baby died Detger came to me and asked
me if wanted to sec it; and Gus Fergus
and Jim and | went over to Davenport
after supper TO see it. When We got over
the bridge jim went on to look in the
window to see who was there He came
back AMI his moIher-in law and wife
came out and crowd gathered and We
went home.
Gustav Fergus testified substantially
the same as Minnie Wolf as to the visit
to Davenport, and in addition said that
he helped Bptger carry his trunk from
the Murphy house after Betger's trouble
with his wife. The trunk was lying out
side the door and was broken open and
the album was gone.
C. B. Knox, Jr Am a guard of the
government bridge and was at the time
OF this accident; I saw the woman after
she was
TAKEN OUT nF TIE WATER
would say she weighed 100 lbs saw
where the paint was rubbed off the lat.
tice work where the woman Is said to
have gone over. Il could have been done
by the woman climbing up; woman
weighing 100 lbs. could not be thrown
over that rail by man the size Of the
defendant, If resistance was made, with
out some mark Of violence upon the per-
sJn. and these marks would be of such a
character that they would show after
death.
John Martin, guard at the bridge. cor
rotated the superintendent and other
witnesses as to the structure of the
bridge.
Druegmaw Bruckman: Have known
the defendant about a year. His wife
came TO our house several times. She
told me about the trouble she had with
her mother and sister. Before she was
married her mother was afraid that Bet
ger would not marry her aud wanted her
to get him arrested and she was CRYING
because she thought that Bq'ger would
not marry her. Once after she was married
she thought she was IN the family way and
was going TO take some medicine. | told
her | wouldn't do 1t, and she said jim
wouldn / let her do il if be knew it. She
went to the midwife and she SAID she was
all right She said that all her trouble
came from her mother and sister. One
time she said she was
READY To DIE
if she could get jim into Jail for it. Both
when the child and her sister died she
said she wished she could be dead, then a
person is at rest. She said as she went
overto Davenport she would Ike to throw
herself into the river.
W. Ii. Scot, perintendent of the Rock
Island Lumber Co, and James Apuleby
testified as to the good character of de-
PENDANT.
THIS MORNING.
The proceedings this morning were
duller than usual, nothing of importance
being ELECTED from the witnesses exam
ined. The interest, however, in the trial
remains unabated.
c. B. Knox, the undertaken, said he
could give no estimate of the weight of
Adelia, that she was about the average
size, stout and muscular. In his opinion
she WAS pregnant.